Paper manufacture



PAPER MANUFACTURE Filed March 5, 1950 /4 gwumkw UNITED STATES CORPORATION, OF WILMINGTON,

PATENT OFFICE ILES E. SMITH, F SYLVA, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO MEAD PAPER BOARD DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PAPER MANUFACTURE Application filed Haroh 5,

' provide a desired range of regulation.

Another object of the invention is the pro vision of a feeding arrangement for a me-- chanical disintegrator of this character which gives a uniform and accurately regulated rate of feed from an irregularly fed source of sup- Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from 'the following de-- scription, the accompanying drawing andthe appended claims.

In the drawing, which discloses a embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partially diagrammatic, of apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 22 of Fig. 1.

lhis inventionis described herein by Way of example as applied to the pulping of fibrous material 'by an incomplete digesting treatment or semi-chemical cook, followed by a mechanical disintegrating treatment, al-' though capable of more general application. in the pulping of deciduous wood, such as leached chestnut thips from which tannic acid has been extracted, the chips are first placed in a digester and subjected to a partial cook'- in g treatment which serves to loosen the bonding materials holding the fibers in their natpreferred "ural associated form. However, this socalled semi-chemical cook is so controlled that the chips retain substantially their original shape, but-may be thereafter readily defibered by properly coordinated mechanical treatment. After the digesting treatment,

1930. Serial to. 433,281.

the cooked chips are dumped into a drain tank, washed, and then conveyed to suitable mechanical disintegrating apparatus. A rod mill is illustrated herein as the mechanical disintegrator, in which the softened chips 1 are subjected to a pounding treatment of considerable intensity serving to reduce them to pulp. It is desirable that the degree of mechanical treatment of the softened chips be controlled and coordinated with the previous incomplete digestion, so that the resultant pulpedmaterial will be of substantially uniform characteristics. The present invention provides apparatus for effecting accurate control and proper coordination of the mechanical treatment with the ing treatment.

The drawing, in which like characters of reference designate like parts in the several views thereof, illustrates a dis-integrating ar-.

rangement for the incompletely digested chips including rod mills 10, of which several are arranged in line to operate as a battery. Each rod mill comprises a cylindrical casing 11 which is supported in suitable hearings or trunnions (not shown), and is provided with a ring gear. 12 fixed to the casing and meshing with a pinion 13 fixed to a drive shaft 1450011- nected to some suitable source of power. Each rod mill is partly filled with a plurality previous digestof longitudinally extending rods which tum- 4 ble and cascade over each other upon rotation of the mill to thereby give an effective mechanical treatment to the mass of chips therein with resultant disintegration of the chips. The material to be treated is introduced into "the rod mill at one end, is reduced as it travels through the mill, and the resultant pulp is discharged from the opposite end of the mill.

As shown, the rod mill 11 is provided with a conical end portion 16 connected to a cylindrical sleeve extension 17 rotatably mounted within a confining stationary sleeve 18 connected to a hopper 19 A shaft 20 journaled Within the hopper 19 carries a feeding screw i an endless chain or 21, the shaft extending to the exterior of the casing and connected to a suitable source of power. The material to be treated by the rod mill is dumped into the mouth 22 of the hopper 19 where it is picked up by tlie'screw 21, which preferably rotates continuously at a speed coordinated with the rod mill drive, and is fed thereby into the casing 11. The rate of flow of material into the casing 11 determines the duration of the fibrous material within the mill, the material passing during the rotation of the casing to the opposite end and overflowing the discharge lip 24. The degree of treatment is therefore controlled by the rate of feed of material to the mill.

The material to be treated in the rod mills is fed by a suitable conveyor (not shown) from a previous treating means, and discharged into a hopper 28. From the hopper 28 the material feeds by gravity through an opening 29 to a traveling conveyor designated generally at 30 and adapted to feed the several rod mills of the battery. The conveyor may be of any suitable type; as shown, it comprises a trough 81 within which travels belt 82 which is fitted with drag members or transverse flights 33 for moving the material along the trough 31 in the direction of the arrow. A driving pulley 34 is provided at one end for supporting and driving the belt and a guide pulley 85 is pro vided at the opposite end of the conveyor over which the belt travels. Openings 38 are provided at intervals in the bottom of the trough 31 through which material carried by the drags may fall into supply compartments 40, one opening being provided for each rod mill. The material fed to the conveyor 30 may be in irregular quantities and need not be controlled except to insure that more than enough to supply these are maintained filled. The excess ma terial not fed into the compartments 40 is carried throughout the length of the trough 31 and discharged into a transverse trough 41 provided with an endless drag conveyor 42. The latter conveyor 42 feeds into another conveyor or bucket elevator 48 adapted to return the material to the source of supply 28.

Each supply compartment 40 is provided with a controlled feeding means, such as the screw conveyor 45, to move the material contained therein at a regulated rate towards the discharge opening 46, where the material is discharged into a chute 47 and transferred to the feeding hopper 19. Movement of the conveyor in each supply compartment 40 is independently controlled by a' feeding mechanism which is adapted to give a uniform rate of feed of material to the respective rod mill.

In the illustrated form of the invention a feeding mechanism 50 is shown which comthe requirements of all ofthe supply compartments 40 is fed, so that prises a rocker arm 51-pivoted at 52 substantially midway of this length on a supporting bracket 53. One end of the arm 51 has pivotally attached to it at 55 a link 56 whose opposite end 57 is pivotally connected to a crank arm 58 eccentrically mounted upon a plate 60 fixed to a rotatable shaft 61, the rotating movement of the crank arm 58 producing a rocking or oscillatory movement of the rocker arm 51. The shaft 61 is rotated by means of a pulley or sprocket63 connected by belt 64 with a similar pulley or sprocket 65 secured to the driven shaft.

' The arm 51 has pivotally attached to it at 67 a pawl frame 68 whose pawls 69 and 70 are adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet 72 pinned to shaft 78. The pivotal connection 67 of the pawl frame is provided. on a sleeve 7 3 which is held in threaded engagement upon a rotatable threaded rod 74 mounted in bearings 75 extending from the arm 51. The threaded rod 74 is provided with a hand wheel 76, upon the rotation of which the sleeve 73, and-pawl frame 68 piv-' oted thereto, are moved with respect to the pivot point 52 of the arm 51. The amount of movement of the pawl frame per oscillation of the arm, 51 is regulated by changing the length of the lever arm of the pivot point 67 with respect to the pivot point 52. Consequently as this distance is increased the length of travel of the pivot point 67, and of the pawls 69 and 70, will be likewise increased with a consequent increase in the amount of movement of the ratchet 72. One U0 of the pawls is positioned for right hand driving engagement while the other one is positioned for left hand driving engagement so that the ratchet 72 is postively rotated in one direction upon each cycle of movement of the rocking arm 51. Shaft 78 of ratchet 72 carries thereon a sprocket 79 connected by chainor belt 80 with a similar sprocket 81 secured to the shaft 82 of the supply conveyor 45.

The feed of the supply conveyor 45 is therefore derived from the continuously operated feeding shaft 21 whose movement is coordinated with the driving of the rod mills. The quantity of material fed perunit of time may be accurately regulated and controlled by movement of the screw 74 which llU changes the position of the pivot point 67 and changes the length of the lever arm"-fr0m which the pawl frame is actuated. In this manner, the driving connection between the continuously rotating shaft 21 and the intermittently actuated shaft 82 is varied so as to vary the rate of discharge from the cylindr'zcal supply compartment 40 into the feed- 5 ing compartment 18. Suilicient material is at all times fed from the hopper 28 to the conveyor 80 to maintain {all of the supply compartments 4O filled. In this manner a uniform condition or controlled level of ma- 1 0 terial is maintained in each of the supply compartments so that a controlled rotation of the feed screw therein gives a definite predetermined output. The supply of material from the hopper 28 need not be controlled within close limits, except to insure that an excess of material is at all times supplied so as'to maintain the supply compartments 40 filled. The excess material is discharged into a common receiver provided with a conveyor for returning the material to the source of supply. The uniform feed of material to each. rod mill, and consequently a uniform disintegrating treatment of the material, is thus insured.

As shown, the rod mills 10 are arranged in line with their longitudinal axes substantially parallel. This places the feeding inlets 18 of each of the mills in alignment, so that a single transverse-conveyor may be utilized to transfer material thereto. The discharge lips 24 of each of the mills are also positioned in alignment. Extending transversely of the mills beneath the discharge lips 24 is a discharge conveyor having a trough 86 Within which is mounted a chain 87 carrying transverse flights or drag members 88 for transporting the material along the trough 86 in the direction of the arrow to a discharge portion 89. Theendless conveyor is mounted upon suitable rolls, one of which isindicated at 90. The trough 86 may be provided with a flexible lip 91 bearing upon the roll so that the material is dragged by the transverseflights 88 from the trough 86 over the surface of the r 11 90 anddischarged into a chute 92,"from which the material is fed to succeeding treating apparatus, such as a Jordan.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator, means for feeding fibrous material to said disintegrator, means for supplying fibrous material to said feeding means, means for conveying an excess of fibrous ma' terial to said supply means, whereby said supply means is maintained filled, and means for controlling the rate of feed of said supply means to said feeding means.

2. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator having a feeding inlet and a discharge outlet, means for feeding fibrous material through said feeding inlet to said disintegrator, the fibrous material passing through saiddisintegrator and overflowing the saiddischarge outlet, whereby the rate of feed of material to said disintegrator regu= lates the degree of disintegrating treatment therein, means for supplying fibrous material to said feeding means, means for conveying an excess of fibrous material to said sup-. ply means, whereby said supply means is maintained filled, and means for controlling rate of feed of said supply means to said feeding means.

3. Apparatus of the character described,

. comprising in combination, a rod mill having a feeding inlet adjacent one end and a. discharge outlet adjacent the other end thereof, a supply compartment discharging. fibrous material into said feeding inlet of the rod mill, the fibrous material progressively passing through said mill and discharging at the discharge outlet thereof as fresh material is fed to said mill, feeding means within said supply compartment, means for conveying an excess of fibrous material to said supply compartment whereby said supply compartment is maintained filled to overflowing, the excess fibrous material over that required to maintain said supply compartment filled passing to a point of discharge on the exterior of said supply compartment, and means for controlling the rate of feed of said feeding means within said supply compartment.

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator having a feeding inlet and a discharge outlet, within said feeding inlet for forcing fibrous material into said disintegrator, the material progressively passing through said disintegrator and discharging at the discharge outlet as fresh material is fed to said disintegrator, a supply compartment, feeding means therein, means for transferrlng said material discharged by the feeding means within said supply compartment to said positive feeding means within said feeding inlet, means for conveying an excess of fibrous material to said supply compartment whereby said supply compartment is maintained filled, and means for controlling the rate of feed of said feeding means within said supply compartment. 1

5. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator having a feeding inlet and a discharge outlet, a supply compartment arranged to supply fibrous material to said feeding inlet, the fibrous material progressively passing through said disintegrator and discharging at said discharge outlet as fresh material is fed thereto, feedmg means within said supply compartment, a conveyor "for transferring an excess of fibrous material to said supply compartment, the material passing into said supply compartment as needed to maintain the same filled, and the positive feeding means 1 excess of material not passing into said compartment being discharged by said conveyor on the exterior of said compartment, means for driving said feeding means within said compartment, and means for controlling and varying the operation of said driving means.

6. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator, a feeding compartment positioned in feeding relation thereto, positively driven feeding means in said feeding compartment, a supply compartment arranged to supply material to said feeding compartment, feeding means in said supply compartment, means for conveying an excess of fibrous material to said supply compartment whereby said supply compartment is maintained filled, driving connections between said feeding means within said supply compartment and said positively driven feeding means in said feeding compartment, and means for varying the operative functioning of said driving connections to vary the rate of operation of said feeding means Withm said supply compartment.

7. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a rod mill having a feeding inlet adjacent one end and a discharge outlet adjacent the other end thereof, positively driven feeding means in said feeding inlet for forcing fibrous material into said mill, said material progressively passing through said mill and discharging at the discharge outlet as fresh material is fed thereto, a supply material to said feeding inlet, feeding means in said supply compartment, a trough positioned above said suppliy compartment and havingan opening for ischarging material into said compartment, a traveling conveyor within said trough for moving material through said trough, the arrangement being such that material passes from said trough through said opening into said supply compartment as needed to maintain said supply compartment filled, the excess of material not passing into said compartment being discharged on the exterior thereof by said conveyor, positively driven means for operating said feeding means within said supply compartment to discharge material therefrom at a controlled rate, and means for varying the rate of operation of said positively driven feeding means within said supply compartment.

8. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator, a feeding compartment, feeding means for introducing material into said mechanical disintegrator, means for operating said feeding means at a uniform rate, a supply compartment, intermittently operated feeding means within said supply compartment for supplying material from said supply compartment to said feeding compartcompartment arranged to supply ment, a driving connection between said operating means and said intermittently operated feeding means for driving said intermittently operated feeding means, and means for varying said driving connection to control the rate of feed of said intermittently operated feeding means.

9. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator having a plurality of impacting elements for acting upon fibrous material therein, said disintegrator having a feeding inlet and a discharge outlet, the fibrous material progressively passing through said mill from the feeding inlet and discharging at the discharge outlet as fresh material is fed to said mill, positive feeding means within said feeding inlet for introducing fibrous material into the said disintegrator, a supply compartment for fibrous material communicating With said feeding inlet, means for maintaining a predetermined amount of fibrous material within said supply compartment, a second positive feeding means for passing fibrous material at a controlled rate from said supply compartment to and directly into said feeding inlet, and means for varying the rate of operation of said second positive feeding means to vary the rate of passing of the fibrous material from said supply compartment to said feeding inlet.

10. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator having a plurality of impacting elements for acting upon fibrous material therein, said disintegrator having a feeding inlet and a discharge outlet, the fibrous material progressively passing through said mill from the feeding inlet and discharging at the discharge outlet as fresh material is fed to said mill, a supply compartment for fibrous material communicating with said feeding inlet, positive feeding means in said feeding inlet, a second positive feeding means for transferring fibrous material from said supply compartment to said feeding inlet where it is then forced into said disintegrator by the action of said first mentioned positive feeding means, and means for varying the rate of operation of said second mentioned feeding means with' relation to the rate of operation of said first mentioned feeding means.

11, Apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination, a mechanical disintegrator having a plurality of impacting elements for acting upon fibrous material therein, said disintegrator having a feeding inlet and a discharge outlet, the fibrous material progressively passing through said mill from the feeding inlet and discharging at the discharge outlet as fresh material is fed to said mill,-a supply compartment for fibrous material communicating with said feeding inlet, positive feeding means in said feeding inlet, a second positive feeding means for transferringfibrous material from said suppl compartment to said feeding inlet where it is then forced into said disintegrator .by the action of said first mentioned positive feeding 5 means, means for driving said first mentioned feeding means, operative interconnections between said driving means and said second mentioned feedin means for driving the latter, and means %or varying said operative w interconnections to vary the rate of operation of said second mentioned feeding means relative to the rate of operation of said first mentioned feeding means.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my- 15 signature. 7 CHARLES E SMITH. 

